No Way Out “No Way Out” by L.A. band Harriet is a haunting track, recounting lead singer Alex Casnoff’s near-death experience with weed. He says, “It doesn’t inspire feelings of strength or masculinity. [...] It’s embarrassing to have died from weed.” The honest and literal description of his experience is confessed both lyrically and musically, pushing emotional piano chords out in front of a solemn electronic soundscape. […]

Lady of the Ark GASHCAT, a nine-piece band who moved from Louisiana to Austin, is a much needed breath of fresh air. The group’s sound has rightfully been compared to Neutral Milk Hotel, and it is filled with an irresistible live energy. Robin Hilton of NPR called it one of his “Possibly Life-Changing Musical Discoveries from SXSW […]

Dearly Beloved Philly rapper/producer Grande Marshall‘s debut 800 mixtape just landed him a spot on Fool’s Gold Records’ roster. “Dearly Beloved,” the opening track, was produced by DJ Dahi, but Marshall is credited for producing a good chunk of the tape. If you’re a fan of Kendrick Lamar and The ILLZ, Grande Marshall should be right up your alley.

Night Faces The record label Birth Records was created by Tim Presley, frontman of Darker My Love and White Fence, after hearing the beautiful music of San Francisco’s Jessica Pratt. “[Pratt is] like Stevie Nicks singing over David Crosby demos,” says Presley. It’s as if her soul is haunted by the flowered ghosts of Haight-Ashbury. Pratt’s self-titled debut […]

Voices In the mood for something spooky? “Voices” is the haunting second single from Little Jungles‘ forthcoming LP, I Would Kill For Some Sunlight. With a name like it has and from the sound of its first two songs, it seems today (Halloween) would have been the perfect day to release the album. Unfortunately for us […]

Kingfisher Call Me The Ruby Suns will release it’s fourth studio album, Christopher, on January 29th. The band has seen some major changes since releasing its third album in 2010. After breaking up with his longtime girlfriend and bandmate, the group’s primary member Ryan McPhun moved to Oslo, Norway. The album is consequently inspired by both events, as well […]

Put Me To Work Since the last time we posted a PAPA track, the group released its debut EP A Good Woman Is Hard To Find, and frontman Darren Weiss’s other band Girls is now broken up. Last week, the group released a new track titled “Put Me To Work,” a roaring piano-led rocker. Its clear Arcade Fire […]

Middle Name People Get Ready, a four-piece music and performance group based out of Brooklyn, just released it’s self-titled debut album on October 23rd. “Middle Name” does a great job showing off how the group can pull back on some of its more avant-garde influences. When you break away some of the heavy percussion and sugary instrumentation, the band […]

Super Rich Kids (Frank Ocean Cover) Brooklyn, New Zealand, 80′s synth-pop and Frank Ocean just might be one of 2012′s most “hype-worthy” musical combinations. The New Zealand-born/Brooklyn-based artist Stephanie Brown, musically known as LIPS, will release a new EP, Look, Listen, October 25th. A cover of Frank Ocean’s “Super Rich Kids” is being given away to help promote […]

Cakelakers Copenhagen-based artist Indians (Søren Løkke) recently announced a January 29th release date for its debut album Somewhere Else. The artist’s new track “Cakelakers” is being given away as a free download to help celebrate. It is “the very first guitar song [Løkke] ever wrote.” And man, it sure is beautiful.

Matchstick Marc Gilfry and Billy Scher of the L.A. band American Royalty say, “‘Matchstick’ is a song that walks the fine line between analog and synthetic, just as it does dreams and reality.” This track has an incredibly intriguing sound. Soulful piano and bluesy vocals combine with intense, pulsating synthesizers — a frenzy of adversely blended, yet […]

Pilgrim MØ is an exciting young Copenhagen-based artist, specializing in what she calls “street-vibe indie pop.” Lykke Li, Grimes and Little Dragon come to mind when first listening to her track “Pilgrim.” She experiments with pop, bringing in elements of electronic, soul/funk, new wave and maybe even island music. An album hasn’t been announced yet, but it is […]